Tag Archives: Texas Tribune

For over two weeks, Texans have been wondering if there would be a Lieutenant Gubernatorial debate this year. Now we have the answer, as Dan Patrick has agreed to at least one of five debates proposed by Democratic rival Leticia Van de Putte. Along with the article linked above from the Texas Tribune, here’s an official press release from the Texas Democratic Party…

Austin, TX – On July 28, 2014, Senator Leticia Van de Putte released her Texas First debate schedule. She challenged Dan Patrick to at least five debates, broadcasted across major regions of this great state.

After 15 days of silence, Dan Patrick’s staffer accepted one debate via Twitter.

Will Hailer, Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party, released the following statement:

“After hiding for 15 days, Senator Patrick has finally agreed to a single debate with Senator Van de Putte through a staffer on Twitter. He dodged the press last week at the Texas Association of Broadcasters and even though he had more than 20 debates and forums during the primary season, Dan Patrick is running scared and has only agreed to a single debate when Senator Van de Putte proposed at least five. Patrick’s team knows that the more he talks publicly, the more Texans will reject his extremism. One debate, Dan Patrick is thinking small for Texas, where everything is bigger.”

UPDATE: The debate is set for Monday, September 29th.

Gubernatorial candidates Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott will have two debates this fall… September 19th in the Rio Grande Valley and September 30th in Dallas.

Like the TDP, Senator Van de Putte isn’t giving up on the fully proposed schedule. “I look forward to hearing from Dan on the rest of my proposal. One down, at least four to go. ¡Dale Gas!” Van de Putte’s camp said in a press release.

This is huge news for the state of Texas, which hasn’t seen a true general election debate in over a decade for the office of Lieutenant Governor. There also hasn’t been a general election Gubernatorial debate since 2006. Many people may downplay that a general election debate is really all that important, but it serves an important purpose in presenting both sides of the political argument, especially to low-information voters or those that don’t pay attention to the election until the last minute. For a very long time in Texas, voters have been trained to believe that there is only one main viewpoint in this state…. Republican. But now, with at least 3 of these events to look forward to, Texas Democrats have another measure of proof that the party is getting stronger.

Much of the pressure put on Dan Patrick’s camp to debate came from press releases and social media, and Van de Putte’s supporters have not let up. Could these debates change the scope of Texas Politics? No one knows just yet. But this year at least, Texas Democrats have a real fighting chance, instead being locked out of the ring altogether. Regardless of the final result in November, this is a win for the Party.

There may be some exciting times ahead for the Lone Star State, especially for those living in Houston or D/FW. From the Texas Tribune…

The mayors of Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth announced Thursday their unified support for the construction of a privately funded bullet train between the two metropolitan regions.

“If successful, Houstonians will have a reliable, private alternative that will help alleviate traffic congestion and drastically reduce travel times,” Houston Mayor Annise Parker said at a press conference at Houston City Hall.

Texas Central Railway announced in 2012 its plans to build a 200 mph rail line that would transport passengers between Dallas and Houston within 90 minutes. The company has said it will not require any public subsidies to fund the multi-billion dollar project, which it is developing in partnership with a Japanese firm, Central Japan Railway.

The mayors praised the project and predicted it would aid the state economically and environmentally by reducing the number of people traveling by car.

“Not only will high-speed rail significantly reduce travel times and traffic congestion for Dallas and Houston area residents, but it will also create new, high-paying jobs and stimulate economic growth,” Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said.

Earlier this week I was privileged to meet with the team behind this project, known as Texas Central Railway. Sitting down with TCR President and Former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, David Benzion and David Hagy, I was able to hear first-hand just how close the TCR is to becoming a reality. Unlike prospects in California or on the East Coast, TCR believes that that a privately-funded High-Speed rail network can be operational before anywhere else in the country.

Now this is certainly not to say that private investment is always the way to go, or that it will work for every HSR corridor. But in Texas, this route has a particular appeal. Unlike building freeways, the High-Speed Rail is less disruptive. It takes less space and by following already established freight rail corridors, would require far less land and property acquisitions. TCR will still have to obtain eminent domain authority, but they hope to use it as little as possible.

Another reason for a potential “fast track” in Texas is simply the topography of the land between Dallas and Houston. Construction costs are going to be lower than they would in California because builders face fewer natural impediments (mountain ranges, protection from earthquakes, etc.). Building time for the line would be shorter as well, with some estimates saying HSR could be constructed in as little as 3 years. Of course construction is dependent on a number of additional factors, so there’s no specific timeline just yet.

But another important concern here is safety. Private projects are almost always done faster than government, but that’s because government tends to put people over profits. If this line is built in record time with exclusively private dollars, how does TCR plan to ensure Texans that it is safe to ride, and not just a major accident waiting to happen?

“Federal and state regulators have been involved in this project since day one. Though privately funded, TCR will be regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration, just as if it were a public project.” Eckels said.

Co-designers of the Texas Project would be JR Central out of Japan, which has an impeccable safety record… no fatalities in almost 50 years of operation.

There are still many steps that need to be taken before Texas High-Speed Rail is a reality. But with the creation of TCR and other recent developments, it seems much more likely than it did a few years ago. Texas is in dire need of additional transportation options, and the TCR is off to a good start.

Though the tormented roll-out of the Affordable Care Act is still fresh on the minds of most Americans, it’s important to note that the dark days of Obamacare are most likely over. The website is now working fairly smoothly, and people are finding that they are able to access healthcare coverage easier than ever before. And despite copious attempts at disruption, deceit and misinformation, even Texans are finding their way through the process to obtain health insurance. As the Texas Tribune notes, enrollments in the Lone Star State are actually moving as fast as areas that were more amiable to the law…

Texas enrollments in the online insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act rose nearly eightfold in December, according to 2013 figures that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released Monday.

Texas ranks third in the number of 2013 enrollments following the troubled launch of healthcare.gov on Oct. 1. As of Dec. 28, nearly 120,000 Texans had purchased coverage in the federal marketplace, up from 14,000 one month before.

The number represents a tiny fraction of the uninsured in Texas, which has a higher percentage of people without health coverage than any other state. In 2012, more than 6 million Texans, about 24 percent of the population, lacked health insurance, according to U.S. census data…

Three-quarters of Texans who purchased health plans in the exchange in 2013 received financial assistance, according to the HHS data. That percentage, which is less than the median rate of 80 percent for the 36 states operating under the federal exchange, might have been larger had Texas expanded Medicaid to cover poor adults. Texans living below the poverty line do not qualify for subsidies.

Granted 120,000 enrollees is still far-short of the 6 million Texans that are in need of coverage, but it’s significant progress nonetheless. Try as they did, Governor Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott did not destroy Obamacare. It’s in Texas, and it is here to stay.

But who suffers from the Governor and AG’s ACA malice? Texas’ poorest citizens and our hospital system by refusing the state’s Medicaid Expansion. There’s nothing the GOP can do to destroy Obamacre, so they’ve decided to turn their wrath onto their most vulnerable constituents. Directly from the Texas Hospital Association, here’s some insight into the bind that Perry and Abbott have created for the state’s already cash-strapped hospitals…

Unfortunately, the positive impact for Texas hospitals is diminished. The state’s failure to extend Medicaid coverage to the working poor or devise its own solution to reduce the number of uninsured leaves more than one million Texans with no access to affordable coverage options.

In addition, ongoing and new federal funding cuts result in significantly fewer resources for Texas hospitals to provide care for the uninsured.

–Hospitals already provide more than $5 billion annually in uncompensated care because of Texas’ high rate of uninsured.

–Reductions in Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital payments began in FY 2012 and for FY 2014 alone are between $16 million and $19 million.

–The recent congressional budget deal will extend federal cuts to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital program that were intended as “pay-fors” for Medicaid expansion for an additional year through 2023.

–The budget deal also extends the two percent sequester reduction in reimbursement rates for Medicare providers (including hospitals) for two additional years from 2021 to 2023.

“Increased private insurance enrollment through the Marketplace is certainly good news, but with a million Texans remaining uninsured and reduced federal resources, Texas hospitals will shoulder a heavy financial burden,” said John Hawkins, THA senior vice president for government relations. “The state’s inaction on coverage for the working poor and new and continued funding cuts at the federal level are a real threat to Texas hospitals’ continued ability to provide the highest quality care to all who need it.”

That $5 billion of uncompensated care?? That’s what I refer to as Crisiscaid… basically the only option for people who have no health insurance. They go along, hoping and praying that everything is ok, but the moment they get sick or have an accident, their only option for treatment is to go to the Emergency Room. And if they don’t have thousands of dollars to pay the hospital for that treatment, the hospital loses money. This a problem statewide, but it puts a particular strain on our state’s rural hospitals… many of which are facing closure if Medicaid is not expanded.

As Greg Abbott stumps around the state for his Gubernatorial bid, he has yet to address the question of how he plans to save Texas’ rural hospitals without taking the Medicaid expansion. For all of these people that no access to health insurance, what does he want them to do? One simple vote by the legislature is all that stands in the way of affordable healthcare for millions of Texans. Hard-working doctors and hospitals would be empowered to care for more patients without worrying so much about their bottom line. erhaps someone should ask him these questions. Hopefully Democrats will find the courage to demand answers soon.

“Jerry Russell, the father of state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, died Thursday, according to a message she posted on Facebook.

Russell was an icon in North Texas theater circles. He was the founder of Stage West, a non-profit theater company in Fort Worth. Russell died after complications stemming from emergency abdominal surgery. He was 77, according to a story about his death published in online editions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Russell’s illness figured into the emerging drama of the 2014 campaign cycle. Davis had been widely expected to announce early this month whether she was running for governor or for re-election to her state Senate seat. But after Russell was hospitalized she pushed back that timetable so she could care for him.”

Condolences have been coming in from Senator Davis’ colleagues as well. Here are thoughts from Senator Leticia Van De Putte, Senator Kirk Watson and US Congressman Marc Veasey, all via Twitter…

Texas Leftist’s thoughts and prayers are with Senator Davis and her family as well.

So the 2012 contest has come and gone. On this blog I predicted that Texas is a state that is in the midst of rapid changes, many of which were to be revealed in the 2012 elections. I, like many others, expected the state of Texas to become “more blue” in 2012.

So today, it’s time to admit that I was wrong. Texas did not become more blue in 2012… it became more red. Even as states across the country saw noticeable gains for Democrats, the Lone Star State lived up to its name and swung further to the Right. As an admittedly Left-leaning blog, it’s important to present facts as they bear out, and those are the facts of 2012. On the surface, it appears that Texas’ likelihood of becoming a Swing State, well, became less likely.

Texas Tribune columnist Ryan Murphy put together this interesting compilation map comparing the 2008 and 2012 elections. The map doesn’t show which side ultimately won a particular county, but only compares if the county voted more Democratic or more Republican than it did in 2008. If you’ll recall from my earlier post on the subject, the counties to watch are just a small group within the greater state area. So how did they fair?

Tier 1- the “reliably Democratic” counties: Three of them went more red in 2012- Dallas, Travis and El Paso. Three of them (all in the Rio Grande Valley) went more Blue in 2012- Webb, Hidalgo and Cameron. An important reminder here… Obama still won all of these counties, but Mitt Romney gained on John McCain’s 2008 vote total. The county where Republicans got the greatest gains? Travis county, which garnered 24,999 more GOP votes than in 2008.

Tier 2- the “Swing” counties: Six out of seven counties went more red in 2012- Harris, Bexar, Jefferson, Hays, Williamson and Fort Bend. The lone, and surprising standout was Nueces County (Corpus Christi) which, though still won by Mitt Romney, went more Democratic by 1,366 votes.

So these are our cold, hard facts. According to the voters that made their voices heard, the Texas of 2012 is more red than the Texas of 2008.

Now here’s the silver lining for Democrats and Liberals… the missing ingredient that Mr. Murphy fails to address? VOTER TURNOUT. 82,511 fewer Texans voted in 2012 than did in 2008. Now for a state the size of Texas, that’s not a huge number. But when you consider how rapidly the state is growing, it suggests that a whole lot of people sat out during the 2012 election.

Take the Liberal island of Travis county for example. The GOP got 24,999 votes in 2012 over 2008, but that was a larger share of a smaller pie (forgive me… tomorrow is Thanksgiving after all) as there were 11,124 fewer votes cast in Travis County. Yet there were 26,070 more registered voters than over 2008. Now is it fair to assume that all of those voters that sat out would have went for Obama? Of course not, but it would bear realism on the theory of an enthusiasm gap among Democrats, while many in the GOP were very anxious to vote.

Now in Harris county, we know this to be the case. Republicans were clearly more enthusisastic to vote than Democrats. Here’s how you can tell…

2008 was the first time Harris County has voted majority Democratic since 1964. Though it was by a slim margin of just 19,099 votes, the move was still a seismic shift for the county, whose population is almost equally split between the city of Houston and it’s close-in suburbs. Democrats made this happen through a huge two-fold push of registration and early voting. That’s what allowed them (well us) to best the well-funded Harris County GOP.

Unlike the immense bumbling we saw from Reince Priebus and the national GOP, Harris County Republicans watched and learned from the Democrats. In 2012, they vowed not to make the same mistake twice. Seeing great confusion from a state attempt at voter suppression, and already waning Democratic enthusiasm, the local GOP ceased the moment in 2012. They drove out their base to the polls, and made sure that they voted early. Early voting records set in 2008 were shattered in 2012, mostly thanks to a huge effort by Republicans, who cleared almost 100,000 more early votes on November 6th, and overtook the Democrat early voting machine by 11,651 votes.

So they spent huge sums of money, and organized more than ever before. And it STILL wasn’t enough to catch the Democrats in Harris County. Official totals show that President Obama bested Mitt Romney by 971 votes. Democrats may have slumped in early voting, but they turned out on Election Day.

The final kicker… overall turnout for Harris County was down from 2008… just under 1 percentage point, and 3,938 fewer Democrats voted. Meanwhile the gap between registered voters and those who showed up to the polls also increased by 34,474 which means in 2012, there were still 738,399 registered voters that didn’t vote. Some people forget that at 4.2 million people, Harris is actually larger than 3 battleground states! But the battle is definitely happening here.

To sum up… Texas Democrats may look at these numbers, see how “red” they’ve become, and get discouraged. But the battle is FAR from over in the Lone Star State. The key to swing state status is now as it has always been. Texas Democrats will win if overall voter participation increases. What we just saw in Harris County will be the new rules for the nation in 2014 and 2016. The GOP will re-group (as they should), and they will start appealing to a broader base. So for the Left, the key is to make every vote count. Keep up registration drives and continue to stress early voting. The very second we sit back and let the machine go idle, that’s when the GOP will make their move. Congrats on all the hard work Texas Democrats. Now let’s saddle up, and keep riding toward that blue sunset.

Something quite unexpected and welcome occurred during last night’s Texas Senate debate. Titled “Conversation with the Candidates” it was produced and Co-Sponsored by Houston Public Media and the Texas Tribune.

Now you may be thinking “2006? That can’t possibly be true. We had a Gubernatorial election in 2010… Rick Perry vs. Bill White.” Bill White and Rick Perry only participated in Primary debates, but there was never a debate in the General Election. Had Perry debated White, we may have been spared the abysmal performances he gave us in the 2012 Primary Election cycle. You know what they say… Practice makes perfect, right?

As divided as those viewpoints were at times, last night’s debate was quite respectful among the candidates. The presumed GOP front-runner David Dewhurst spent most of his time attacking The President saying that real economic improvement couldn’t occur until we “send Barack Obama back to Chicago, get a good, conservative Republican in the White House that will follow a stable, predictable course.”

Dewhurst also spent much of his time touting his accomplishments along side Rick Perry. Though, it’s fair to say that Texas is no longer under a surplus and education and health care costs for our state continue to surge out of control. He apparently thought it was a record worth sharing.

Ted Cruz spent most of the evening going after Dewhurst for harsh campaign ads, and name-dropping all of the Washington insight he’s built up as an Attrorney arguing before the Supreme Court. Not a whole host of solutions.

It was clear from the debate that former NFL-player Craig James had no prior political experiences. Between living off of mayo sandwiches, fear of “hurting our lizards” during natural gas fracking, and his invaluable life lessons on the goat ranch, his other pie-in-the-sky answers left this viewer non-plussed. He calls for lowering corporate tax rates to 0 percent, and then somehow jobs and business will simply flood our shores. He’s not ready for Prime Time yet.

Among the GOP contenders, the most capable candidate to handle real problems of everyday Texans was former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. Even if you don’t agree with his positions, you have to respect him for presenting logical solutions to our state and our nation’s issues. He presented his views with a clarity and poise that wasn’t present in the other Republican candidates. That’s not an endorsement… just a recognition.

The best surprise of the debate was a 31 year-old Dallas business owner named Sean Hubbard. A clear, unapologetic Liberal who stands up for his values, but also presented the logic skills that are so desperately needed in Washington right now. When asked about the future possibility of drought in Texas, he say that “We should be investing now in Deselination plants.” A solution that no other candidate (and most in our state government) have even considered. Though mostly in agreement with his Democratic opponent Paul Sadler, Hubbard maintained a more concise, prominent and straight-forward presence among the group. When discussing Women’s Rights, Hubbard said that it’s “an embarrassment” and stated that “women are more than capable of making their own decisions about their bodies and their health.” He even revealed that for a time his wife used the services of Planned Parenthood “not for abortions, but for cancer screenings”.

After two long hours, my endorsement would have to go to Sean Hubbard for his clarity of thought, innovative solutions and strength of viewpoint. The Honorable Mention would go to Tom Leppert, because even if I didn’t agree with his positions, the willingness to search for real solutions instead of just saying no.

Here’s a link to the full debate. Watch for yourself and form your own opinion.